The benefits of ripping apart our old, unsightly deck continues to have benefits...like the raised beds that we were able to build last weekend with the wood that we saved.  Here I am sitting on the edge of our new 3x10' bed along the north side of our property.  In this space

The bed was lined with mattress protector as a barrier to the treated wood, then lined with landscape fabric to hold the soil in and wick up water that typically settles near that section of the fence.  

 In the space in front of our shed, we had a difficult time getting anything to grow there in the past 2 years perhaps from the spruce tree roots.  We built another raised bed here, lined with mattress protector, added compost, sprouted potatoes from a friend, and topped it off with leaves that we rescued from a neighbours trash pile.

The finished product as of May 19, 2012

                        There is Juliet cherry tree to the left and strawberries in front of the planter.